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What is Routing in ASP.NET Core and its types?

Anubhav Sharma 380 29 Mar 2026

What is Routing in ASP.NET Core and its types?            

asp.net core asp.net core
Updated 30 Mar 2026
Anubhav Sharma
Anubhav Sharma

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The Anubhav portal was launched in March 2015 at the behest of the Hon'ble Prime Minister for retiring government officials to leave a record of their experiences while in Govt service .

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1 Answers

Ravi Vishwakarma
Ravi Vishwakarma 30 Mar 2026
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Maps an incoming HTTP request (URL) to a specific controller action or endpoint.

Simple Understanding

When a user hits:

/article/details/10

Routing decides:

  • Which Controller
  • Which Action Method
  • What parameters

How Routing Works

Flow:

URL → Routing Engine → Controller → Action → Response

Example:

/article/details/10

Mapped to:

ArticleController → Details(int id = 10)

Types of Routing in ASP.NET Core

There are mainly 2 types:

1. Conventional Routing

Defined centrally in Program.cs

Example:

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

How it works:

  • URL follows a pattern
  • Controller & action inferred automatically

Example URL:

/Home/About

Calls:

HomeController → About()

Pros:

  • Simple
  • Good for standard apps

Cons:

  • Less control for complex APIs

2. Attribute Routing

Defined directly on controllers/actions using attributes

Example:

[Route("article")]
public class ArticleController : Controller
{
    [Route("details/{id}")]
    public IActionResult Details(int id)
    {
        return View();
    }
}

URL:

/article/details/10

Shortcut:

[HttpGet("article/details/{id}")]

Pros:

  • More control
  • Cleaner for APIs
  • Flexible URLs

Cons:

  • Can get messy if overused

3. Endpoint Routing (Modern Approach)

Introduced in ASP.NET Core 3+

Configured in:

app.MapControllers();

Works with:

  • Attribute routing
  • Minimal APIs

4. Minimal API Routing (Advanced)

Used in lightweight APIs:

app.MapGet("/hello", () => "Hello World");

Route Parameters

Example:

{controller}/{action}/{id?}
  • controller → required
  • action → required
  • id? → optional

Route Constraints

Restrict parameter types:

[Route("product/{id:int}")]

Default Values

{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}

Routing vs URL Rewriting

  • Routing → maps URL to code
  • URL Rewriting → modifies URL before routing

Best approach:

  • Use Attribute Routing for APIs
  • Use Conventional Routing for UI pages

Common Mistakes

1. Conflicting routes

  • Two routes match same URL → error

2. Missing app.MapControllers()

  • Routes won’t work

3. Overusing hardcoded routes

  •  Not maintainable

Real Example (Best Practice)

[Route("api/articles")]
public class ArticleController : Controller
{
    [HttpGet("")]
    public IActionResult GetAll() {}

    [HttpGet("{id:int}")]
    public IActionResult GetById(int id) {}
}

Final Definition

Routing in ASP.NET Core is the system that connects URLs to the right code (controller/action) so the application can respond correctly.

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